HC Deb 01 July 1969 vol 786 cc80-1W
Mr. Marples

asked the Minister of Technology if he will give an estimate of how much Government research expenditure was devoted to basic research and how much to applied research for the most recent year for which figures are available.

Mrs. Shirley Williams

I have been asked to reply.

Information on research expenditure by type of research is collected only for recurrent expenditure within Government establishments.

In 1966–67 the gross expenditure on basic research within Government establishments was £34,700,000; the corresponding figure for applied research was £62,598.000. (Corresponding figures for 1964–65 were published in the first volume of Statistics of Science and Technology, Table 8.)

Mr. Marples

asked the Minister of Technology if he will give the figures for Government research expenditure spent on civil and defence research, respectively, including all overheads, broken down between work done within Government research establishments and work done outside them, for the most recent year for which figures are available.

Mrs. Shirley Williams

I have been asked to reply.

The figures for Government research expenditure for 1966–67 are given in the following table. The figures are for gross expenditure; that is, including appropriations in aid. Expenditure on work done outside the United Kingdom is included; local authority expenditure is not included.

GROSS GOVERNMENT EXPENDITURE ON RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT 1966–67
£ Thousand
Expenditure within Government research establishments* Expenditure outside the government sector Total
Defence 86,670 182,907 269,577
Civil 118,315 146,248 264,563
Total 204,985 329,155 534,140
* Including research councils.